Before social media allowed incoming freshmen to conduct in depth, CIA-level research on their soon-to-be roommates, Lehigh students had to trust their school to pair them with the right person. “Lehigh did it right,” said Alex Parlamis ’98. The university paired the Tenafly, New Jersey, native with another student from the greater New York area who shared a common interest in trying out for the golf team, Brian Flood ’97.
They found another thing in common when golf coach Kelly Gutshall recognized what their shared enthusiasm for the sport could bring to the larger golf community at Lehigh. “He said you and Brian can help us curate people to become members of the golf club. So Brian and I got to play on some phenomenal courses.”
It was natural for Parlamis to build a community around something he loved so much. His family had been in the hospitality industry since 1945, his grandfather originally assisting Greek immigrants who were opening diners in the metropolitan New York area.
Parlamis’s own career path eventually drew him back to that innate affinity for hospitality, running the 3rd generation of the family business and passionately building its home base at Axia Taverna in his hometown of Tenafly.
Back To His Roots
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance, Parlamis’s family suggested their business model as a solid path to pursue, but the new grad chose to explore other options, spending some time in the finance world, specializing in real estate. But ultimately he circled back to what his family was doing, joining his father to run The Parlamis Group in 2003.
The Parlamis Group specializes in construction services for hospitality businesses, but also provides consulting services to restaurant owners, and capital structuring services for various hospitality transactions. Parlamis proudly notes that they have erected 1000 restaurants in nearly 80 years of operation.
If You Want It, Build It
Eager to create their own hub of hospitality in their hometown and a fine dining place to take his wife, Parlamis’s late father, Michael, approached his son to help his vision become reality.
“My father was very passionate about creating an elevated dining experience locally embracing his Greek ancestry and I said it would be my pleasure,” Parlamis recalls.
They searched for the right partners who could execute a Greek menu that would bring their customers comfort food that was both healthy and freshly crafted.
“It's a scratch kitchen. Everything's made to order,” says Parlamis. “Sometimes people might get upset about the turnaround time of their dishes, but they soon realize there is a reason for it. That is the proper way to maintain quality and to maintain freshness. Our chef has figured out the best way to do that for us in a healthy manner and without loss. Loss in a kitchen is unfortunate.
Doctor Approved
While he describes the cuisine as Greek “comfort food,” Parlamis is especially proud to offer classic Mediterranean dishes, highlighting the simply grilled, heart healthy options on the menu.
“In 2024, people are more knowledgeable about what they are putting in their body than they have ever been. We have a whole section of our menu dedicated to a simply grilled experience to offer them options that are basically what the doctor would order,” Parlamis promises. “You feel great the next day after you eat clean and well.”
He admits that there are guilty pleasures on the Axia menu that "can't be done responsibly," but there are plenty of healthy options for those people who are trying to be health conscious in eating out without sacrificing flavor or a fine dining experience. “A lot of people come in with the intent of eating responsibly.”
Found Family
While his father passed in 2013, Parlamis is confident that his father would be proud of the changes he’s made and the community he’s built through Axia. The same partners they brought on in the beginning are still contributing to the success of the establishment today.
“The hardest part of being a restaurateur is picking the right team. Our original two partners [executive chef Alex Gorant and general manager Tim Vlahopoulos] are still our partners and that alone is rare. We are very fortunate in that regard.” Parlamis recognizes that Gorant and Vlahopoulos are integral in maintaining consistency in the food and service that the loyal Axia Taverna customer base has come to expect. “These guys have gotten better over the years, and the customers recognize that. There are probably 10 dishes that can never leave the menu because we'd lose customers.”
“Alex and Tim make revisions everyday to better the operation and run more efficiently. We have become a well-oiled machine. We have five or six who have been with us for over 15 years,” Parlamis beams. “When you have someone who has worked for you since the day you opened, that’s a feather in your cap.”
His loyalty is as strong as theirs, pledging to keep his staff employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He saw the change in business as an opportunity to rethink the floor plan to accommodate more seating at the bar, something he had considered for a long time. So he put his team to work.
“I turned the staff into carpenters so they could still make some money. We redid the interior and relocated the bar. We made a bar that was far more inviting and tripled the amount of seats. We paid homage to the formal bar by cutting it into four communal tables.”
Born to Host
Parlamis says he values growing up as part of a hospitality family. “It's a very good quality that is not taught in college. My wife jokes 'You have more friends than anyone I know.' It's ingrained in me being a hospitable person, whether in the restaurant or on a soccer field with my kids."
He envisions the legacy continuing with his wife, Joanne, and children: Claudia (17), Vince (15), and J.R. (11). “It's a really good passing of the torch to teach the children that this is our place, be proud of it, and be responsible citizens in this world. It's cool that they feel a certain connection that they challenge themselves to be upstanding citizens. They feel the need to behave responsibly, and they feel a connection to the family history. A lot of restaurants don't have that story.”
